Backing and Binding

Today I pieced a backing, using old fabric from my stash, 

for this quilt that I finished the other day.

And also made binding out of some bandanna fabric.

A little more progress on my stitching project too

 (Country Cottage - Book Store)

Now it is time to get ready for church and the Good Friday Tenebrae service.

Kinda gonna check two things off the list.........

Two things got done today that I can kinda check off the long list I made January 1st.  I finished the LHN Reader.  Is it considered finished yet?  No, because it needs to be framed or made into a flat fold or a pillow or a small quilt.  But since I have a whole drawer full of "finished" pieces, it will be a long, long time before I can permanently cross it off the list.

For the quilt "flimsy" that I showed yesterday I made a backing.  The fabric I showed yesterday was not a big enough piece for the backing unless I did some creative cutting and re-piecing, so I decided that I might as well make a  pieced backing for more interest.  I used some of the leftover strips from the quilt in the very center, some odd colored fabric that I have not idea how it got into my stash, and the chosen fabric from yesterday.

Also got the binding ready to go for this quilt.

No pictures, but I also found time to Knit on my curly scarf and put some stitches on another counted cross-stitch project.  It was a good crafting day here at my house.

Today's Progress

In my quilt studio there is a dry bar with two large cupboards underneath.  Cupboards are great for hiding clutter.  I had hundreds of bags stuffed into this cupboard along with empty boxes and old unused plastic Easter decorations.  I didn't take a "before" picture, but here is an "after" picture of the cupboard all cleaned out and neat.

Another quilted quilt got the binding machine sewn on today and I will save the hand sewing for another time.

I also worked on my curly knitted scarf.  Since the yarn is really too heavy for this pattern, I decided to knit the center section that would go around the neck in a plain garter stitch, then return to the curly pattern.

This morning I worked for a while on my counted cross-stitch project. (Picture does not show true colors.)

And tonight I worked on another counted cross-stitch project (no picture) but it was virtually a waste of time as I discovered my counting was off and I had to unstitch what I had just stitched.  Sigh.

Happy Saturday

It was a happy Saturday at my house. I machine quilted (cross-hatch) this little pieced pumpkin quilt and it is now ready for me to hand sew down the binding. My machine quilting is a little less than perfect, but it is OK with me. I like the over-all effect and will think of it as "quirky" quilting.

I used a varigated thread that had yellow, gold, orange and beige which adds to the quirky nature of this little quilt.

There was time also to work on this little piece of stitchery which is from Blackbird Designs - one of the August miniature stockings.

Finally, I made a little progress on my latest binding project.

Time went by very quickly today as I enjoyed working with needle and thread.

Adding, subtracting, adding

This simple quilt has been hidden away in a plastic tub awaiting my fabulous design idea. Long story made short - it didn't work. My fabulous design idea took me hours and hours of work and in the end I undid everything and simply added some random buttons instead.The buttons show up much better in person, but you can see a dot or two here and there.
Here is a closeup of my highly unique "put a button at the cross-hatch" idea. It will make it a smidge* more interesting when it hangs on the wall.
On the stitching front, I'm working on block #7 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow and enjoying stitching the evergreen trees.
*(By the way, Spell-checker tells me there is no such word as "smidge". Really? I use it all the time. Have I failed my English class again?)

Finished and Started

My Six Hem Sampler is framed and ready to hang in the perfect spot. And where is that perfect spot? Hmmmm. I haven't quite found it yet, but then, there isn't much wall space left in my house.

On the sewing front, I made a few Smart Bags by Quiltsmart. They are easy to make and use two fat quarters. For a tote bag, they are a little small, but just the perfect size to carry some books. They would be great gifts for your book club friends.

Shhhh. This is part of a secret project. That's all I'm saying.............

This pillow case is for our Bee Christmas charity project. Instead of exchanging gifts, we decided to make pillow cases for children fighting cancer.

Lastly, this is the latest counted cross-stitch project in the works. It is Little House Needleworks Acorn Hill. I'm using Crescent Colours - lovely fall colors.

On the day after Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for the container of leftovers that Cheri prepared especially for me. I got to enjoy turkey, green beans, corn souffle, mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry salad all over again today. Yum.